Posts Tagged ‘inauguration’

[Editor's note: Several hundred readers at the New York Times site submitted photos to a live photo wall commemorating last Tuesday's historic inauguration of Barack Obama as the United State's 44th president.]

Republished from The New York Times. January 18, 2009. Reader submitted.

NYTimes.com readers sent in their photographs from Washington and around the world. Images are organized in the order they were received.

[Editor's note: This in an interactive version of an annotated photo in the print edition. I did a little programming, Christina, Karen, and Patterson did the heavy lifting. The version below shows all the faces but the user starts off with the original image to explore.]

Republished from The Washington Post. Tuesday Jan. 20, 2009.

Roll over the photo to see who was at the Capitol when Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th president of the United States:

Then and Now. On March 4, 1933, Franklin Roosevelt addressed a crowd of 400,000 at his first inauguration. The past few years had seen a spectacular decline in the nation’s fortunes, born of what he called the “mad chase of evanescent profits.” Banks were failing, savings disappearing, real estate and commodities collapsing. Fascism was rising abroad. In response, Roosevelt pledged “a disciplined attack upon our common problems.” He didn’t get much more specific than that. And, really, he didn’t have to. The people wanted change, in the current vernacular—or, more precisely, they wanted a government that could respond coherently to the profound changes that were already under way.

Barack Obama assumes the presidency this year amid a similar sense of national crisis, and having made similar promises of change. And, like Roosevelt, he’ll be leading a country very different from the one his predecessor inherited: as the statistics on this map show, change itself is one thing we’ve seen in abundance in the past eight years. Making sense of that upheaval will be the first responsibility of the new administration.

Since 2000, America has changed in small ways, in big ways, and in ways that seem innocent enough now but no doubt herald some radical disruptions to come. Many more people are poor, uninsured, and in prison. Many more are billionaires. The burden of health-care costs has grown heavier, and so have we. We charge more, save less, and play a lot more video games. Even the things that haven’t changed much—like the amount of oil we consume, or the price of cocaine, or the size of our military—reflect not so much stasis as unsustainable trajectories. For Obama, responding to these problems will require breaking deep national addictions—to oil, to etherealized finance, to profligacy of all kinds—and, somehow, easing the tremens along the way. Perhaps, in doing so, he should heed a warning Roosevelt issued on the campaign trail: “Without leadership alert and sensitive to change,” he said, “we are bogged up or lose our way.”

The bad news: Witnessing this historic occasion in person will require a bit of a schlep. The good news: Officials say pedestrians will be allowed to go just about everywhere. So what about those who have to park their cars and venture over the Potomac and Anacostia rivers on foot for the first time? Put on your sturdy shoes, grab a wind-resistant jacket and climb down into this guide to walking over the 10 bridges into the District of Columbia. — Reporting by Bonnie Berkowitz

[Editor’s note: Continuing coverage of Obama inauguration on January 20th, 2009. Unprecedented crowds are expected, severely disrupting commuting patterns. If you are within two miles of the National Mall experts say to walk to your destination (and expect security checkpoints around the Mall itself). Other coverage includes: overview map, ticketed seating, and special bus corridors.]

Republished from The Washington Post.
Original post on Jan. 7th, 2009.

[Editor’s note: Continuing coverage of how to best experience or cope with the Inauguration of Barack Obama as 44th President of the United States on January 20th. Other posts include: Overview map and Ticketed seating.]

Metro has designated 23 special bus corridors to run extended rush-hour service from 4 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Jan. 20. Corridor service mainly follows existing Metrobus routes and bus stops across the region. The buses on these corridors pick up and terminate at 14 stops just outside the restricted area. They will run about every 10 minutes to accommodate inauguration crowds.

[Editor's note: This graphic in today's Washington Post shows those lucky few with an inauguration ticket how to get to their seat in front of the U.S. Capitol Building next Tuesday. Tickets are required for the swearing-in ceremony at the Capitol. Entrance will be granted only at the screening gate indicated by the color-coded ticket. Map shows Screening Point (Metro Access ); Ticket Gate; and Entry Routes.]

I have a related post on the parade route, general seating, and vendors.

Only 240,000 people will have access to the ticketed and seating areas closest to the Capitol to watch the inauguration ceremony. Here’s a look at the ticket design and where ticket holders should go Jan. 20, 2009.

Ticket holders in any of the south sections (orange and blue) or the Mall standing areas (silver) should enter through gates on the south side of the Capitol grounds. Due to the closures of Pennsylvania Avenue for the parade, those coming from the north can access the south side of the Capitol grounds in one of several ways:

From the east or northeast: Go around the Capitol to the east using 2nd Street NE/SE (or streets farther east) to reach C Street SE and walk west to the blue, orange or silver gates.

From the north or northwest: Use the 3rd Street tunnel, entrance at 3rd and D streets NW near the Labor Department, to cross under Pennsylvania Avenue and the Mall. One side of the tunnel will be closed for pedestrian use. This is the only way to cross the Mall near the Capitol.

If you have a Silver ticket, because of changes since tickets were printed, the only access point is at Independence Avenue and 3rd Street SW.

Yellow and Purple Tickets
Ticket holders in the north sections (yellow and purple tickets) should enter on the north side of the Capitol grounds. Guests must follow routes that do not require crossing Pennsylvania Avenue.

From the south or southwest: Use the 3rd Street tunnel to cross under the Mall and Pennsylvania Avenue. One side of the tunnel will be closed for pedestrian use; this is the only way to cross the Mall near the Capitol. Or, walk around the Capitol to the east using 2nd Street SE/NE (or streets farther east) to reach the north side of the Capitol grounds.

Metro riders should be aware that trains might not be able to stop at stations that are deemed to be overcrowded for safety reasons. If this happens, get off at the next possible stop and walk back toward your designated station.

*In case of overcrowding, alternative stops include L’Enfant Plaza to the west and Eastern Market to the east.

[Editor’s note: If you’re planning on being in DC for the Inauguration of Barack Obama this month, grab this free map of the festivities from The Washington Post made by Gene Thorp. The map is updated regularly with the latest information.]

The inauguration of President Barack Obama on Jan. 20, 2009, is expected to be one of the largest public gatherings ever to take place in Washington, D.C. Millions are expected to visit the National Mall and other nearby points to view the ceremony either in person or via telescreens, watch the parade from the U.S. Capitol to the White House, and more. On this 2009 inauguration map, The Post will detail information visitors can use to plan their trips downtown. It will be updated periodically as more information becomes available. (A downloadable version is also available in PDF format.)